However proud the dear old NME might have been of their "London's Burning" piece last August, natural selection will have ensured that most of their chosen contenders will be spent forces by this summer. Art Brut? Selfish Cunt? Neil's Children? Nah, don't waste my time, mate. Controversy's useless if you ain't got the tunes.
It's a lesson maybe the most infamous of all the so-called 'urchin rockers' THE OTHERS have learnt quickly. Yeah, they cornered the self-promotional market quickly with their notorious guerrilla gigging antics, rivalled Pete Doherty's antics in the headline-grabbing stakes after Dominic Masters' admissions of bisexuality and his quote about only taking drugs "four nights a week" and have successfully built their own 853 Stagediving fan base nationwide thanks to Masters being almost exclusively available to his fans.
All of which has conspired to give them a headstart in the notoriety stakes and has ensured they are building a myth and reputation along the lines of The Smiths, Suede and (inevitably) The Libertines. But the last two of their three singles - the Doherty tribute "Stan Bowles" and the corking "Lackey" - have suggested The Others know when album time comes all the smokescreens fade and you have to produce the goods. Simple as that.
Gotcha, say Dom and co. And with "The Others" that's exactly what they do. Sure, it's rough around the edges, sometimes flies by the seat of its' pants and no, Dominic still can't sing for toffee. Sing? Don't make me laugh: mostly he makes Mark.E.Smith seem like Scott Walker. But to dismiss him for this is to miss the point by miles. In terms of being one of the most compelling frontmen of recent times, he currently has little competition, and his Dickensian yelp is utterly charismatic in its' own beautifully untutored way.
Ultimately, it's Masters' contribution that really makes "The Others" take flight. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. With ex-Stone Roses producer Paul Schroeder at the helm, The Others musically sound tight, taut and purposeful throughout. Songs like "Southern Glow" and the dark, punky "Psychovision" are built around Johnny Others' amphetamine Peter Hook basslines, while guitarist Jimmy Lager's spidery runs and pneumatic chording spews emotion around like gobs of vitriol and drummer Martin Oldham is a muscular powerhouse throughout. That they live and breathe these songs as much as their leader is undeniable and to write them off as musical stooges would be a grave error.
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But with his musical backdrop sorted, "The Others" is still moulded by Dominic's autobiographical vision and the songs' moods are usually determined by this. Sometimes, the righteous anger you expect is present and correct ( "Psychovision", the disaffected call-to-arms of "This Is For The Poor"), but just as often the hedonistic passions in songs such as "Almanac", "Southern Glow" and the boisterous tribute to the band's most devoted fans ("Community 853") shines through. Judging by the way the guitars rain down on the latter, it's no surprise David Gedge's stock has risen again of late.
If anything, though, "The Others"' best moments are the ones when Dominic demonstrates an honesty almost unheard of in the rock world. "William," for example, is a jubilant, Buzzcocks-y offering relating to lifelong friendship which is never less than bracing; "How I Nearly Lost You" - with its' frank lyrical content concerning over-indulgence - is surprisingly touching and the rumbling and propulsive "Johan" ("we don't need anyone, just me and you/ I still love you to bits despite the things you do") is a memorably affectionate tribute to Dominic's longstanding partner. Significantly, the album closes with "Darren, Daniel & Dave"s dark note of caution. "Darren, Daniel, Dave....and they're all dead now/ took a little control and they all would have been saved," notes Dominic, clearly aware that the road to excess is littered with wasted lives. One can only hope Peter Doherty is listening.
I've no intention of making claims about "The Others" rivalling other seminal eponymous debuts such as "The Clash" and "The Smiths", but I can state with clarity that its' good enough to sustain, encourage and expand the already devotional fanbase who are hanging on Dominic Masters' every word. And it'll give their detractors a pretty sound thrashing into the bargain.
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